1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to marine vessels and more particularly to a protective rub rail system for marine vessels.
2. Description of Related Art
Many marine vessels incorporate a variety of systems and devices for protecting the perimeter of the boat from damage caused by contact with other boats, docks, or other structures. These protecting devices often function to prevent damage to another boat that the protected boat might encounter. Some exemplary protection systems and devices known in the art include cast urethane fenders, rigid and semi-rigid rub rails, soft hybrid collars, shaped closed-cell foam systems, and rigid hull inflatable boats.
Cast urethane fenders utilize a urethane absorbing material that is cast in molds to create segments of a protection device that can be attached to a boat. These designs require custom molded shapes to fit around corners and other curvatures of a given boat hull. Additionally, these designs require the subject boat hull to be pre-formed or molded with large flat sections to accept the fender segments. Because each segment must be custom made and individually cast, cast urethane fenders can be quite costly to manufacture. Installation is also costly because the fenders must be individually glued to the boat hull. Repair is also quite costly and difficult, because a damaged segment needs to be replaced in its entirety, which requires the removal and re-application of the attachment glue.
Rigid and semi rigid rub rails are very common in boat design and construction. These systems typically consist of a combination of extruded shapes and provide perimeter protection for the vessel it is secured to. Rigid/semi-rigid rail systems do not provide an energy absorbing characteristic and some configurations can easily damage another boat or structure that it happens to contact. While they are lower cost compared to alternatives, the rigid/semi-rigid structure does not have desirable shock absorbing and wear characteristics.
Soft hybrid collars are generally large tubular segments that are received by molded cavities along the perimeter of the boat. These collars are expensive to manufacture and install and are not easily retrofitted to an existing vessel without significant modifications to the hull structure. Moreover, these collars have generally been relegated to government, law enforcement, and commercial applications because they are not aesthetically pleasing in comparison to other available protective devices/systems.
Shaped closed-cell foam systems provide a somewhat softer, energy absorbing vessel fender system as compared to rigid systems or cast urethane fenders. These fenders comprise sections of closed cell foam glued to the perimeter of a boat. While retrofitting is possible, these systems require the vessel to have hull features molded to accept the foam fenders. Although effective for protection and shock absorption, cell foam fenders are unattractive and subject to discoloration and damage over time and generally are not as wear-resistant as other devices.
Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIB) have become a popular means to provide a soft protective collar or fender for a boat. RHIB vessels have an inflatable hull portion integrated into a rigid lower hull. Such a design significantly compromises interior space due to the relatively large size of the inflatable tubing used. Additionally, the construction of the inflatable tubes and the installation are expensive to manufacture and labor intensive to install. Further, RHIBs can be difficult to repair and, if damaged or punctured, the vessel's seaworthiness can be severely compromised. RHIB's also do not provide any logical way to retrofit an existing boat to have an energy absorbing fendering system boat, save replacing the entire hull, which is simply not practical.
Several variations of the above-described protection devices and systems have been the subject of patent applications and issued patents. For example, U.S. Patent Application 2004/0200397 to Klein discloses a rub strip for boats, which includes a base portion with a longitudinally extended recess groove, into which a shock absorbing insert is placed. The insert can be made of polyvinyl chloride plastic, and snaps into the groove, also functioning to cover the fasteners fixing the system to the hull. The outer surface of the insert is also designed to receive a stainless steel trim strip, which is “crosshead extruded” with the plastic section of the insert. Once the insert is in place within the base portion, an internal channel is created, which allows the insert to flex with respect to the groove
U.S. Pat. No. 7,517,001 to Goldbaum illustrates a protective trim system for vehicles to protect against damage to the doors, in which the trim elements include and outer shell which has a conformable surface for attachment to vehicle body, along with a convex wall affixed to the outer edges of the unit. The outer shell defines an interior void that is filled with an energy absorbing foam.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,978 to Rezzonic describes various designs for boat fenders which incorporate an “internal conduit”. An internal H-shaped bracket section is fixed to the edge of the boat, an external section is adapted to engage the bracket section and absorb impact shock. The external sections includes an internal conduit design with is coupled to a complimentary shaped outwardly extending H-shaped bracket section.
Although the prior art provides some solutions to existing problems, none provide a solution for the need for an energy absorbing rub rail or fender system that can be easily affixed to the perimeter of a vessel using common hand tools and that is easily adapted to a variety of vessel shapes and structural features. Moreover, there is a need for a rub rail system that incorporates the benefits of a resilient exterior fender with a softer shock absorption interior to provide exceptional wear resistances and impact resistance. Additionally, there is a need for a modular rub rail system having these benefits while also being easier to replace and repair as needed.
It is, therefore, to the effective resolution of the aforementioned problems and shortcomings of the prior art that the present invention is directed. However, in view of the rub rails and other vessel protection systems in existence at the time of the present invention, it was not obvious to those persons of ordinary skill in the pertinent art as to how the identified needs could be fulfilled in an advantageous manner.